My Angel
by Rutoh-Chan
Summary: AU based on Sho's "Prisoner" PV. They're falling and nothing can stop them.  She won't survive, but she wants to save him.  Time isn't constant, but they all remember. ShoxMimori RenxKyoko
1. Desperation

_An AU based on Sho's _Prisoner_ PV that Kyoko and Mimori took part in. I'm fudging characters because to follow the plot of the PV I have to. But I tried to keep some _Skip Beat_ roots in the story. Chapter one is focused on Sho and Mimori and will cover the events of the PV. I hope that you enjoy it. Also, to anyone out there who is religious and easily offended, I apologize. This universe is not based off of any particular belief system and any similarities and apparent satires are not meant to be provocative. I hope I don't sound like a rambling idiot._

_I do not own _Skip Beat_. I should probably mention this in more of my fics...  
_

* * *

She had told herself, over and over, that it was for the best. But her heart knew better. It was evil. Pure evil. Malicious jealousy threatening to drown her. Anxiousness and protectiveness, yes. But she could not be satisfied with this outcome. She would give anything to erase him.

Anything.

~...~

Humanity did not understand angels and demons. Angels were less confusing, because to a certain degree they did do what humans thought. They cared, were kind, and protected humans as best they could. But they were not profoundly powerful beings. Good intentions were their hallmark, but they worked in quiet, simple ways.

Devils were another matter. Some people were under the impression that devils went out of their way to tempt humanity and lead it astray. This was ridiculous. Devils did whatever they wanted, were completely self indulgent, and as a consequence, encouraged selfish behavior in the humans that they interacted with. As time went on and fewer humans accepted the guidance of angels, these otherworldly beings retreated for most of their lives to their home, which, for lack of a more simple explanation, could be explained to the humans as "Heaven."

"Hell" was the home of the devils, and was growing year by year. Angels and devils were not born in a traditional sense, but new ones appeared as human beings acted on selfish and selfless impulses. An angel would occasionally, succumbing to selfishness, fall and become a devil. A devil, once every so many millennia, forsook his ways and began to live for others, ascending to an angelic throne. But more often than not, the meeting of a devil and an angel was a catastrophe. Their natures mingled, each weakening the other, until they simply dissipated.

Kyoko and Mimori were two angels with an adventurous side. While their brothers and sisters hid from the earth for most of their lives, the two girls flitted back and forth from it, resting and reviving in heavenly fields of flowers before descending back to humanity to walk among strangers and give hope. Of the two of them, it could be said that Kyoko had more worldly sense, being older, and that her nature was kinder than Mimori's. But Mimori was a delightful girl and her perpetual happiness was as infectious as Kyoko's generosity.

A dozen or so centuries into their lives, the girls found themselves in their usual haunt, a glossy meadow, bedecked in flowers and sparkling with a celestial beauty.

"Kyoko?"

"Yes, dear?" The older fairy rolled onto her side in the soft grass, propping her face in one of her hands and tossing her gently waving golden hair over her raised shoulder and out of her face. Her blue eyes rested tenderly on her friend. Mimori sat, her knees curled up under her chin, and her own long blonde hair, straight and silky, dancing a little in the soft breeze.

"Do you remember that man we met?"

"The boy, you mean? On our last trip to earth? The one that said you were angelic?"

"Yes, him," she said delightedly. "Only, he was a man, because he walked like one. Not like a boy."

"More like a devil," Kyoko corrected in a soft tone. Mimori's smile faded.

"A devil?"

"Yes, dear."

"Are you sure?" Kyoko laughed.

"Of course not. I didn't ask him. But he seemed like the type."

"But he wasn't like the last one we met. He didn't chase us back to Heaven. He even gave us lunch, and was kind."

Kyoko refrained from pointing out that he might have been trying to buy favors. It had taken all her cleverness to get them away from the young man Mimori had mentioned. His soft brown hair and eyes had seemed harmless enough at first, but Kyoko had thought his eyes glowed red, and his hair seemed silver in the right light. The look on his face as he had stared at Mimori when he thought neither girl was looking had not encouraged Kyoko either. Angels did not hate devils; that was unkind. A devil was what it was. But a good angel did not spend time with devils. She knew a devil would thwart her efforts to bring lasting happiness to a human soul.

"Well, I doubt we will see him again. Earth is large and time is broad and we won't be going back for a while. At least another dozen of our years."

"Won't we?" Mimori asked, almost begging. Kyoko felt something bitter stir in her and suppressed unkind thoughts towards the young man.

"Mimori, if you want to meet him again, I'll take you. You only have to ask it of me."

"But that would be so selfish!" she gasped. Kyoko smiled.

"If it is your heart's greatest wish, I will give it to you. Even angels have interests. Sometimes we survive by providing for each other, you know."

"I don't want to see him if you think it isn't safe," Mimori reassured her. Kyoko felt herself relax slightly and realized she had been afraid. She hoped the feeling would not return. It was dangerous.

Like that young man.

~...~

Time in Heaven and Hell moved in a straightforward way, from an unknown starting point into eternity. Between these realms and earth, there was a fluctuation. Traveling to earth meant traveling through and around time. Experienced navigators could pick the year they wished to arrive in. New travelers went where the waves pushed them.

No one cared what was changed by their actions. In the beginning of Heaven and Hell's time, the first angels and devils had influenced those men and women who would truly shape earth's "history." Now their successors worked only with the mass of humanity, pressing people that would not change the world, but who could be made different by the influences of an unearthly beings.

~...~

Mimori wanted to be alone. She realized it was selfish, but she and Kyoko both agreed that some time apart helped them to remember how good it was to be together so much. So she suggested to Kyoko that they part ways for a little while, only a few months, and Kyoko agreed to it. Mimori felt a bit guilty because she knew she was being a bit dishonest. When they were apart, they promised to stay confined in the depths of Heaven, where they could not be hurt. But this time…

She was curious. Was he really a devil? What did she know of devils? Could he just be human?

With these thoughts pressing her, Mimori made her way towards the border between Heaven and Hell. It was not a clear border, a stark line between evil and good. It was an open field that eventually grew sparse and withered until it drifted towards a black horizon. Mimori knew it was dangerous ground to walk, but told herself as long as she hid among the boulders and ruins there would be no real trouble. She would not sing, or make very much noise at all. She would simply sit and think. And if she saw anyone, angel or devil, she would just observe them.

That was all.

~...~

"Hello, little angel." Mimori let out a shriek as she woke, throwing herself away from the voice. There was a cackle of laughter, but as she whipped around, there was no one in sight. Her breath caught in her throat. Her stay on the border had lasted only two weeks so far. She had thought she was safe, resting behind the rocks, tucked away so that no one could see her unless they stood right in front of her and looked down. Now, alone and trapped, she realized the dangers of the ground she had chosen to tread. Her knees gave out under her. "It's so nice to know that my eyes didn't deceive me. But you are very lovely when you aren't hiding yourself, aren't you?"

A clawed hand, bedecked in silver studded with gems, slipped around her neck from behind her and slid to cradle her face. The terror remained, but underneath, a warm burning was starting to pulse in her gut. Mimori swallowed, and the captor chuckled as he felt the movement.

"W-who are you?"

"Oh, Angel, you've forgotten me already?" She felt the person behind her lean forward, and she turned when she realized he had brought his face around for her to see. It was the young man from earth, beautiful and smirking in a way that he had not done when she first met him.

"Y-you- you're-"

"A devil," he answered easily, his disguise melting away to reveal long silver hair and burning red eyes. Draped in pendants and chains, clothed in leather, and looming over her, Mimori had no doubts as to what he was. Her only confusion lay in how she could ever have mistaken him for a mere mortal. His hungry and consuming aura choked her.

"Beautiful," she breathed, not realizing she had corrected him until he laughed. He released her and swung around to stand before her, scrutinizing her. He knelt then, and caught a bit of her hair between his fingers, stroking it thoughtfully.

"It really feels like soft gold," he told her, running his hand across her cheek and back to catch more between his fingers. "The softest…"

"Does it?" she asked naively, absurdly pleased by his praise. He laughed again and she smiled happily. Mimori liked this smile.

"Yes," he answered. "But it isn't as soft as your skin." A careless finger traced her nose as he told her this and she felt her face grow warm. "I'm afraid that of the two of us, you're the beautiful one."

"Oh no!" she disagreed. "I only look like most angels do."

"And I, like most devils," her devil retorted. But it was a gentle reply, and she giggled.

"Well, I don't get to see devils. Kyoko can spot them from miles away and makes sure we avoid them."

"I'm guessing you mean the plain young lady that was with you? _She_ did not look angelic at all."

"Oh, she's much better at hiding her presence. She doesn't need all her beauty to help humans. Just her smile. People like that I'm pretty though."

"I'll believe that," the devil snorted, and was surprised when she blushed again, but this time looked ashamed.

"Not- not like that," she whispered, and the devil learned something.

"Angels aren't innocent, are they?" Mimori smiled.

"Oh, most of us are. But Kyoko and I are in the human world too much to not know at least some things." She glanced at him shyly and smiled. "It seems like you've been there for a bit too long." He laughed.

"I must have, if I let myself be convinced that humans knew anything about you."

"Well, they do know some things," she conceded sweetly. "I think they expect a bit much from us, though."

"Working you to death," he suggested in a low tone, a hand reaching down to caress her cheek. She shivered a little, but shook her head.

"Not at all. Having work to do is good for a person, and we don't get tired very easily."

"Where is your friend?" he asked, glancing around.

"Oh, sometimes we need to be apart. She's off somewhere else right now, but I'll go and meet her again soon." He frowned.

"How soon?"

"Just in a month or two. I've only been here for a few weeks." The crooked smile returned.

"I've definitely been with humans for too long. I thought you would only be here for another day or two." She giggled.

"Oh no! That's hardly any time at all. We would barely have been apart."

"Do you want to be alone until you see her again?" Mimori hesitated before she answered. She liked this devil, but something in his tone made her nervous.

"I- I don't know," she finally told him, incurably honest. He stood, offering her his hand and she took it. He pulled her up and into his arms, holding her gently.

"Well, I can't always stay, but I don't mind coming to visit. You'll be here for two more months?"

"Oh, yes," she answered breathlessly.

"Then I'll see you again soon, Angel."

"You're leaving now?" she asked in dismay.

"Yes. But I promise to come back soon."

"Can devils make promises?"

"If it suits them, of course they can. Stay safe, little one. You hid yourself well, but be cautious. Other devils aren't as patient as I am." She gave him a confused look, but he only grinned and stepped back, taking her hand and kissing it lightly. "Farewell."

"Wait, your name!" He disappeared, but his voice whispered in her ear.

"Next time, Angel."

~...~

"You sneaky cheater," a voice growled from his doorway. Ren looked up from his desk, running a hand through his hair to shove it out of his face. It was far too long again, but getting it cut was always a nuisance.

"What are you doing here, Sho?" he asked with a sigh. The young devil cocked his head and looked at the papers in front of Ren with amusement.

"Numbers again? You are the weirdest guy."

"And you're obnoxious." As far as devils went, Ren and Sho could visually epitomize the two extremes of the spectrum. Sho's gaudy and sharp look was favored by the younger ones, the human obsession with riches having caught their interest. Ren's style was conservative. He wore black, but mostly because it was expected. His hair was long, in the fashion of all immortals who could not keep track of time and hated going to earth just to see a human barber. His eyes were red, but where Sho's were bright and glassy, his were dark and deep. The only oddity that he could claim was a series of tattoos on his hands and around his neck. He never spoke of why he had them, or what they stood for, but once, when he was in an extremely generous mood, he had mentioned to Sho that they were a reminder. Of what he did not specify, and Sho knew him well enough not to ask. They were not friends and had once been perilously close to enemies when they had taken an interest in the same human woman. But after that fiasco (she had left them both for a human man), they had discovered a tolerance for each other, and Sho sometimes came to Ren for advice. "Did you want to expand on that accusation, or will you leave me alone?"

"Expand. Why didn't you tell me angels were so amusing?" Ren stiffened slightly, a twinge of an ache in his chest.

"They aren't. Fallen ones are useful, but true angels are boring. Straight-laced and tight lipped. Which isn't as fun to kiss as it sounds," he added with an ironic note. "Why? You found one?"

"On earth. Apparently I found two, but one of them was like you described, and she wasn't nearly as pretty."

"If you found her on earth, that isn't surprising. Angels are better at hiding themselves than we are, though you have a knack for it. We don't bother as much because people like us as we are. Angels have to be more careful."

"Well, the second wasn't nearly so careful."

"Which was probably why they were together. Did you have anything important to say? I don't care who you flirt with on earth."

"I think I piqued her."

"The straight-lace?" Ren mocked. Sho snorted.

"The other one. I ran a border check today to see if I could spot another angel and found the less careful one."

"She was wandering the borderlands?"

"Yup."

"She is careless. How boring."

"I thought she was interesting," Sho countered. "It was fun."

"I have no interest in how the encounter ended," Ren stated, turning back to his paper. "And I'm not cleaning up your mess if the Archangels come after you."

"They won't. I think I talked to her for what, ten minutes? Then I left."

"But you'll go and see her again? I'm assuming if you were so circumspect she isn't terrified of you."

"Oh, she doesn't know what to think yet. She doesn't lack instinct, just common sense."

"No wonder she travels with a friend. What did you do with the other one?"

"She wasn't there. They won't be seeing each other for a few months. I have time."

"Not much."

"You've been cooped up here way to long. Months are plenty of time. I'm still 'jet-lagged.'"

"Not my problem. I don't care. Did you come just to tell me you're going to get yourself into trouble? That isn't my concern."

"And you say angels are straight-laced. Seriously, when was the last time you got out? Five hundred years ago? When we were ready to kill each other?"

"I visited earth five years ago."

"Yeah, to pick up a new recruit. I don't know why the Old Guys keep sending you down for that job. You've got mileage, but you aren't as old as them, and they hate leaving recruiting Fallen idiots to the newbies."

"Content yourself with the knowledge that I tell you nothing because I hate interference as much as I hate to interfere with others."

"Oh, somebody's ticked. You only get _really_ starchy when you're peeved."

"Are you finished?"

"For now. I'll stop by again before I head back out."

"You aren't flying straight back to her side?"

"Even I'm not that stupid. I figure I'll survive this since it's in my way to get what I want, but I'm not laying bets on what happens to her. And I'm not laying bets on what happens to me if I get too interested."

"Think you'll Ascend?" Ren taunted.

"Please. When have I ever learned to share? I'd be a dead man, and you know it."

"Just try and get her to earth," Ren sighed. "The border isn't sacred in any way, but no one wants to deal with the trouble of you making your assignations there."

"Why take her to earth? You think I'm gonna make her Fall?"

"That or kill her." His face suddenly grew serious. "Don't let her fall in love with you."

"Why not? It'll be fun."

"Don't," Ren repeated, the note of command causing Sho to jump. Devils did not tend to give orders because they did not expect to be obeyed. "Messy doesn't even begin to describe what might happen if she falls in love with you."

"Yeah, yeah."

~...~

Angels were patient. They lived forever if they stayed out of trouble and it was not in their nature to be uncomfortable. That would be ungenerous.

But never in her life had Mimori realized how _long_ a single day could be. And then it stretched into two days, then three, then four. She was going to give up and head back, but on the fifth day, she felt something around her change. He was not there, but she thought she could feel him coming. And suddenly, she was aware of minutes, seconds even. Tiny increments of time that had never mattered before absorbed her attention and made her anxious. Was this how humans felt, knowing their lives were limited? That every tiny moment was a moment where something could be happening, and was not? Did she like it? Did it even matter?

He was coming.

~...~

Kyoko felt that burning sensation in the back of her mind again. It had only been a few weeks since she and Mimori had separated, but twice now, she felt the tremors of fear rock her. And this second one was twice and terrifying as the first. She should not jump to conclusions. Mimori and she had promised to stay in the safe zones when they were apart. She would simply ask a few people, and content herself with whatever answers she received. She was not really afraid. She was not afraid…

~...~

"You came back." Her smile staggered Sho. He was used to seeing pleasure, but this unrestrained euphoria on their third meeting was absurd. Certainly she had caught his attention. But he had a passion for things that sparkled, and was only distracted by shiny objects for a time. So what was it about this bright glow that called to him like nothing else had?

"Of course I came back," he answered as casually as he could. "I told you that I would, didn't I?"

"Yes," she answered, looking down meekly. "But you were gone for so long…"

Long? Wasn't she the one who had said months was such a short time?

"Did you miss me?" he asked with a smile. She looked up and nodded, smiling in return. Joy, not simple pleasure, swelled in him, and he was staggered. No wonder Ren had never sent him after angels. This girl was having a greater effect on him than he would have thought possible in so short a space of time.

"Do you know what seconds feel like?" she asked suddenly. He shook his head. "Well, I didn't either. But now I do. Is that strange?"

"I suppose that depends on how you learned it."

"I don't know _how_ exactly. But I realized that you were coming and all of a sudden… I could feel them."

"Oh." Yeah, good for his ego, not for his sense. "Well, I can't say that I've noticed anything like that."

"Oh." She seemed disappointed, and he reached out instinctively, cupping her cheek and stepping forward.

"What's wrong?" If nothing else had managed to shock him yet, the gentleness in his own voice did. Was this what angels did? For the first time in his life, Sho felt himself concerned not with his own desires, but with banishing whatever thought or action had made this exquisite creature troubled.

"I wish you had," she confided. "It would have been nice if you had noticed too."

"But then you might have gotten conceited," Sho teased, hoping to coax her out of her gloom. But this only served to make her shrink further.

"You're right. It was very bad of me." It was almost becoming tedious, this self-effacing nature she had. So why did it torment him so much?

"Now really. If you keep pouting, what am I going to do with you? I thought you wanted to see me again?"

"Oh, I did, I did! I just… hoped that you wanted to see me too."

"Well, I wouldn't have come if I didn't want to see you," he answered practically, earning a weak smile.

"Yes, but I think that I wanted to see you more than you wanted to see me."

"Well, maybe you should try to change that."

"How?" she asked, cocking her head and looking at him in confusion. He chuckled.

"Just like that," he whispered pulling her into his arms and smiling at her little gasp of surprise. "You are far too enchanting."

~...~

No one had heard anything. Kyoko was not too surprised, but she had asked people about places that Mimori usually haunted when alone. If her friend was not there, where could she be?

The feeling of terror was growing, day by day. What was she going to do?

~...~

It was like a dream for them both. He had only meant to stay for a few days, but when two more weeks had drifted by, he did not think about the consequences. He was too busy teaching her how to paint pictures in the night sky with colored magic and what flowers became her the best. She had forgotten the rest of the world even existed, and was aware only of the passing time, each and every moment.

The ones that taunted her were moments in his arms, or where he touched her, briefly. Those tiny seconds, maybe a full minute, made her wonder if they were not in Heaven after all. And those times, where he looked at her with those eyes that saw only her, she felt her breath slip away and could count how long it took her to breathe again.

~...~

"Mimori…"

"Yes, Sho?"

"How much longer do you have?" She blinked in confusion. "Until your friend comes looking for you."

"Oh!" Her eyes grew wide in fear and shame. "I- I'm not sure…"

"Oh, you silly little angel! I have to go soon."

"Go?" She was sad, and frightened.

"For a little while. You're getting tired. I've stayed too long."

"I don't mind," she promised. "Just stay. You make me happy!"

"Oh, Angel, what should I do with you?" he murmured, taking her hand and pressing a kissing on her fingers. "I can't stay. We're fading. Go back to your friend. She'll care for you. I'll meet you on earth."

"How? You won't know when we get there, or where we'll be."

"I can find you anywhere," he promised. She looked skeptical.

"How?" He smiled and caught some of her hair, bringing it to his lips and watching her blush.

"I've all but claimed you, Angel. I will find you."

~...~

"Oh, Mimori, you're alright!" Kyoko sighed when she saw her friend approaching. She ran over and grabbed the girl, hugging her delightedly. "It's so silly, but I was worried for you this whole time. You look tired. Is something wrong?"

"Oh, no, nothing," Mimori lied a bit uneasily. It had only been a week since their separation, but already she missed Sho more than anything. She was glad to see Kyoko again and sorry to have worried her friend. But what she really wanted was that captivating devil to return to her side. "I'm just a little tired. Probably from traveling while I was away."

"Oh, you poor thing!" Kyoko crooned, accepting this story without hesitation and causing her friend to writhe with guilt. "We'll stay here then, for a while longer. Earth can wait until you're well."

"Oh no! We should go right away," Mimori insisted. "I'll be fine-"

Kyoko cut her friend off with a finger placed lightly over her lips.

"No going to earth if you aren't feeling well. You have a hard enough time hiding your aura normally. We can't have you being spotted by all the devils that haunt the earth."

Mimori thought it would be quite nice to be haunted by a certain devil, but said nothing. She nodded meekly and accepted Kyoko's command. They returned to their fields to relax, and Kyoko, noticing that Mimori seemed a bit upset, went out of her way to cheer her friend.

"Look, that cloud is shaped just like the giraffe we saw last century, when we were on earth." Mimori did look, and acknowledged that the cloud did indeed look like the strange animal they had seen, but it did not seem to cheer her very much. "Don't you remember that young man who so badly wanted to impress you? He wrote you that silly song where he said you were as gentle as the giraffe."

Mimori did laugh at that, but it also caused a pang in her heart. She thought she understood better now how that boy had felt when she had not accepted his feelings. Her devil had seemed to be interested and enjoyed complimenting her, but she had never felt that he was as anxious to be with her as she was to be with him.

"Dearest, don't you like the flowers?" Kyoko had asked one day when she was weaving a necklace for her friend. Mimori looked at her gift and smiled. Kyoko had taken her advice about the flowers she should use and had made a circlet that would perfectly match Mimori's fair countenance. Kyoko stepped forward to drop it over her head, admiring the affect with a warm smile.

"They're perfect. Thank you." Mimori said, blushing happily.

"You're perfect," Kyoko stated with simple pride. "You should always wear flowers. They make you look even sweeter."

"Oh, do they? Do I look prettier?" she asked, all eagerness.

"Yes," Kyoko said matter-of-factly, taking Mimori's golden hair and draping it over her arm, stroking the soft golden mass tenderly. "You look lovely. I wish I had your hair."

"But yours is lovely too," Mimori insisted. Kyoko laughed and accepted the compliment mildly, shaking her head. She knew that as an angel she had a certain beauty, but she had been told a long time ago that she did not look as well as her fellows. Being so young and impressionable, she had taken it to heart and never believed any differently.

With all of Kyoko's efforts put to making Mimori happy, the younger angel relaxed and was able to forget a little her loneliness. She began to recover more quickly and it was not long until Kyoko said she was ready to return to earth. Mimori was all excitement and hid her nervousness, wondering if Sho would really be able to find her. She smiled as best she could and promised to be on her best behavior.

~...~

"Picking up a new recruit?" Sho asked the figure that lounged against a wall, watching the people on the street disinterestedly. Ren looked up and rolled his eyes, taking in the deceptively normal looking appearance that Sho presented.

"You've gotten rather good with your covers," he commented. "If you could stop looking naturally rakish…"

"Yeah, yeah, whatever. Like you're so great at it." Ren was good at hiding his aura, but the problem was that he was just too good looking to avoid attention, even in his human guise. His hair was short and dark and his eyes were brown, but he was tall and fit. His features were well defined and he had moved among humans long enough that he knew how to adapt to their desires. Most of the time he was aloof, but he could be ingratiating or condescending when the situation called for it. He dressed simply, but well, and always attracted attention.

"Got bored with your angel?" he asked, changing the subject. He was surprised when Sho looked away.

"No. I came down here to meet up with her." He met Ren's gaze again, smirking. "I'll have to get her to ditch her friend, but that should be more fun than troublesome."

Ren watched him for a moment and, ignoring the slight burning that started to hum in his veins, spoke.

"Be careful."

"Are you kidding?" Sho asked, incredulous. "Why should you care?" Ren shrugged.

"Messing with angels always means more work for me. The Old Ones prefer to let me deal with the messes that show up when devils make trouble with those prissy busybodies."

"Which means less time for pleasure?" Sho suggested archly. Ren ignored his tone.

"Go dig yourself into a pit. I do have a recruit to grab and I'm not your babysitter."

"Yeah, yeah. Whatever."

~...~

Mimori looked around anxiously, hoping that no one on the dark street paid any attention to her. She had escaped from the hotel that she and Kyoko were staying at after receiving a note on her dinner plate. The scrawl had told her only to leave the establishment and head east. She hoped that it was from Sho and that he would get there soon. Her own stupidity was starting to be apparent to her. She gasped when an arm slipped around her waist, but relaxed into the hold as she realized who it was.

"You surprised me," she whispered. Sho chuckled.

"You can speak normally. No one is going to hear you." She turned in his hold and looked up at him sheepishly.

"You're right. I'm just so nervous. I don't know what I'll tell Kyoko if she realizes I was missing."

"You could tell her the truth," Sho suggested, but this found no favor with his companion.

"She would be so hurt! I'm really betraying her." The admittance seemed not only to depress her, but to cause her physical pain. She clutched at her heart and tears formed in her eyes. Sho, his own body aching, reached out to brush away the moisture. Collecting a drop on his finger, he noticed he had her attention and tasted the tear, watching her eyes widen in surprise and confusion. "Sho…"

"What do you want to do?" he asked suddenly. "We'll go wherever you like."

~...~

"We're going back," Mimori told Sho, sitting on a bench at the park, looking at him in despair. "Kyoko noticed I'm not feeling well. She wants us to go back and recuperate. I think… I think she might be starting to suspect."

"You aren't feeling well, are you?" he asked, noticing her face was pale and she looked less… shiny. Her wings, which he could see if he looked hard enough, seemed to have lost some of their luster. He felt anxious for her wellbeing and, ignoring his own instincts to run far and fast, he let himself admit that it was only for her health that he could let her go. The admission made him ill, but he ignored this. It would do no good to pretend he had not slipped. She would be far from him for a long time if he knew anything about her disposition and Kyoko's worrying tendencies, explained to him by Mimori in hideous detail. He might never see her again.

"Kyoko thinks I should stay away for a long time. I don't want to, but I feel like I owe it to her, for lying so much."

"You're probably right." She hesitated before she answered.

"You think I should?"

"Yes."

"We won't see each other for a long time. Not until she's sure I'm better. She won't let me off on my own until then."

"We'll survive."

"I- I suppose."

~...~

"Dearest, I can't leave you right now."

"Please, just for a little while. I know we've only been back for five years, but I think I might feel better if I were on my own."

"You… want to leave me?" Kyoko's face was an open book, displaying the full range of her hurt and betrayal.

"Not forever!" Mimori protested. "Just for a little while. I love you, I really do."

"If- if this is what you really want…"

"Oh, Kyoko! I promise it won't be for long. Just a few months and I'll come right back. I swear!"

"Then we'd best part ways, hadn't we," Kyoko said, her smile not hiding her anguish. "Don't hurt yourself. Take care!"

"Always!" Mimori promised, already taking flight. Kyoko, noticing her wings were not as bright as they should be bit back a final protest, but watched her friend until she was completely out of sight.

~...~

The borderlands were cold and seemed to creep closer and closer to the heart of Heaven each year. Once this had worried Mimori, but now she found it meant she might be closer to Sho. She hoped that he could still find her as easily as he had on earth. She waited among some ruins, once grand houses for now fallen Archangels, hiding from everyone else who checked the border and praying daily that she would see her devil again.

Two weeks went by and nothing happened. But one morning Mimori found herself pressed to leave the ruins, so she stepped outside and was greeted with the sight of her beloved, perched on a rock and looking around. His eyes alighted on her and she sighed in relief. He had come.

Before she knew what was happening he was in front of her, grabbing her in an embrace that was much stronger than any of his others had been. She looked up to protest, but was cut off when his mouth covered hers and he kissed her hard. Terror sprang up for a moment, but was replaced with a feeling so warm and tender that she was shocked. She had always loved the people around her, she knew what affection was. This was passion, and it burned in a way that was both painful and exhilarating. When she came back to her senses, she realized her arms were around his neck and she was kissing him back. When he finally pulled away, she was trembling, leaning on him completely to support her.

"Oh, my _stupid_ little angel. You should have run."

"Sho, didn't you miss me?" she almost sobbed, worried by his reaction. He put her mind to rest by kissing her again, more softly this time.

"Every second," he whispered, and she shivered in delight. "Every single moment, you ridiculous temptation."

Mimori liked this form of address to a degree that frightened her since she had always been taught that all temptations were bad. She rested against him, sighing delightedly.

"I missed you too."

"I know. You came back here. Which was dangerous. You shouldn't come here alone."

"But I was here alone last time and you didn't mind."

"I wasn't thinking. And I was with you most of the time."

"But-"

"Go back to your friend. You aren't safe here."

"I can't! She won't see me again for months. Don't you want to stay with me?" Yes, he did want to stay with her. She could see it in his eyes. But there was sorrow there too.

"Mimori, don't you see? We're going to die. You're lying to everyone you know and I can't pretend that it wouldn't bother me if you got hurt. But I can't share you generously and you can't forget the other people you care about." She looked up at him in horror and he realized she had not thought about this. She swallowed tightly.

"If- if you can't share me then I'll just stay with you. Always."

"That's too selfless, silly. It doesn't work."

"I don't want you to die!" He smiled at her, but it was sad.

"I know. I don't want you to die either."

"Can't we do anything?"

"Forget." She was dismayed.

"I can't. I don't want to!"

"Then we'd better hope for a miracle."

She did not respond, but leaned in for another kiss.

~...~

Kyoko was sick. Horribly ill. Angels did not get sick, and that she was so unwell unnerved those around her. An Archangel was summoned, and he looked her over briefly.

"You're ignoring your duty," he said simply. "You know there is trouble. You must fix it. Your whole being knows it. You should obey."

She left that afternoon. The moment she started moving, painful though it was, she felt her strength returning. It would be slow progress, but she would head for the border. An instinct pulled her there.

~...~

Sho pulled Mimori closer, trying to find a more comfortable position on the moss covered rocks they had chosen for their bed. She slept often now, his poor, not so innocent angel. This taxed her much more than it did him. His desire to hoard her was in line with his nature. Her desire to want him in the face of her friends was killing her. And his desire to see her well was killing him. Much more slowly, but it was.

She mumbled in her sleep and nestled against him. Her physical appearance belied her condition. He did not understand angels, but apparently her love for him kept her blossoming. Only her wings, limp and greying, betrayed her undesirable state. He stroked her golden tresses gently, hoping she would wake soon. If he wanted to buy her more time, distance would help. He knew she would be lonely and he hated to leave her, especially while she was so defenseless. But if he could buy her just a little more time…

In the far distance, he felt, very faintly, someone approaching. That it was an angel he had no doubt. If one of her kind was coming, he had to leave now.

"Mimori," he whispered, nudging her gently. She whimpered, but he pressed and her eyes flitted open, resting on him with such an adoring look that he had to smile. "I'm going to make you unhappy, Angel." She forced herself to sit up, frowning.

"What's wrong?"

"One of your people is coming, and I think it is your friend." She blinked in surprise.

"Kyoko? But she wouldn't come so early. And I said I would find her."

"You also said she was suspicious. You shouldn't be surprised."

"What are we going to do?"

"I'm going to leave for a few days. I'll come back once she's gone."

"What if she doesn't leave?" Mimori asked, almost panicking.

"Then I'll come get you. We'll go to earth."

"Why don't we leave now?"

"You're too weak, and I'm not strong enough to take you. You love her. She's your friend. Let her help you, and then you can tell her the truth and we can go."

"She'll be devastated," Mimori whispered with a shudder. "She only ever tried to protect me."

"It's either that or lie to her," Sho said softly. "Even if you hurt her, if she knows you trust her she can recover. She'll be alright."

"I don't want you to go!" He kissed her once, but spread his wings determinedly.

"I love you. Stay safe."

"Sho!"

"Promise, Mimori." She gulped back a sob.

"I love you too. I promise. Come back _soon_."

"Soon."

~...~

Kyoko was horrified with what she saw. Mimori was sitting on a ruined balcony, looking out over the dead land towards the heart of Hell. Her figure was healthy but her wings were shadowed. When Kyoko landed she noticed her friend had a look in her eye that made her suddenly seem exactly as old as she really was. Her gaze was mostly calm, but a little frightened. But her back was straight and she met Kyoko's alarmed gaze with a steady one of her own.

"You're breaking your promise," she said quietly. Kyoko trembled with rage, her arms reaching out.

"Mimori, you can't. Come back. We'll take care of you. You don't need this-"

"Kyoko, I can't leave him."

"Please. You're my sister, my friend. We've lived together for so long, we've saved people. Don't you want to save people?" Mimori seemed to waver, but she shook her head.

"I'm too selfish, Kyoko. I want him. If I could have both I would, because I do want people to be happy. As happy as I am when I see him. Oh, Kyoko! If you could just meet him once you'd understand!"

"I have met him," Kyoko retorted. "Unless he isn't that devil we saw on earth who tried to get you away from me."

"He isn't like that. He loves me, truly."

"Lies are a part of his being. He'll get what he wants-"

"He's dying," Mimori said flatly. "I'm killing him, and he's killing me, and we don't care. I love him."

Kyoko's arms dropped, her eyes becoming wide. She stared at Mimori hard for a moment, and the younger angel was shocked to see her grab her chest and wince, a haunted look in her face.

"It won't do, Mimori," she said in a hushed voice. "That kind of love… an angel can't have it. You'll Fall. Or you'll die. You can't have that love. Only- only humans can have it."

"I do have it," Mimori snapped back. "And I'm going to keep it. You don't understand-can't! He's making me happy, and I want to stay with him."

"Where is he now?" Kyoko demanded. "Leaving you here, unprotected, on the border-"

"He knew you were coming. He thought you could help me if he wasn't here. Help me get ready to go to earth."

"Mimori, you can't!"

"I will. And he left because he thought you loved me enough to give me what I wanted. This is what I want. The greatest wish of my heart."

"You'll die!" Kyoko was choking on the words, but Mimori, her heart in agony, did not relent.

"If you interfere, I'll hate you," she whispered. "I'll never forgive you if you take me away from him."

Kyoko stood stunned, watching her friend in disbelief. Her fists clenched and unclenched once, and she slumped.

"I'll stay with you until he returns. You can't be left alone, and I don't want you to get hurt." Mimori's face brightened and she dashed forward, hugging Kyoko tightly.

"Oh, thank you. Thank you! You're the best angel in the whole world!"

~...~

"What happens to us when we die?" Ren looked up from the book he was reading to stare at Sho, leaning against his doorframe.

"I have no idea. There is speculation of course, but nothing conclusive."

"What do they say?"

"Well, since we only really die if we get involved with angels, the most popular idea is that we dissipate into the universe and our energies form the Young Ones."

"Oh, gross," Sho groaned. Ren did not ask why Sho felt like his dying was even an issue. One look at the boy told Ren a rather disastrous tale.

"There is another thought."

"Really? What?"

"That they get reborn as humans. Because humans are mixed by nature, and devils and angels are individual enough to be considered true souls, if they taint themselves and don't Ascend or Fall, they lose their immortality and live the human cycle."

"Cycle?"

"It involves our timelines being different and is tiresomely complicated. And involves reincarnation. Don't worry about it."

"Can humans become angels or devils?"

"No one is sure, but there is some suggestion that those who live lives towards one ideal or the other do get reborn into the immortal cycle."

"I'm guessing that's another one of those complicated things?"

"It's just our life. The Young Ones, the devils, and the Old Ones. Similar for the angels. The Younglings, the angels, and the Archangels."

"Younglings? Really?"

"I didn't make up the rules, so don't ask me."

"Sounds stupid. Like someone got addicted to prose and was trying to sound all officious."

"I already said-"

"I know, I know." He broke off and stared into the distance for a moment, and Ren felt another of his stupid pangs. "Thanks." Ren blinked.

"For what?"

"For not calling me an idiot."

"You can stay a while longer. I'm sure it wouldn't hurt." Sho smiled, but it was sarcastic.

"I don't need a babysitter, and you just don't want more work."

"Then I'll see you later," Ren answered, turning back to his reading. There was a slight pause before Sho answered.

"No you won't."

And then he was gone.

~...~

Mimori was sleeping. Kyoko knew this, and did not try to wake her. She was tired. She needed rest.

The jealousy was real, and so was the anguish. She knew that she would never be forgiven. She knew hatred for that evil being that had stolen her friend away and had made this happen. She knew she was going mad. But that did not stop her from meeting him when he landed on that crumbling balcony. The tears flowed and she could barely make out the look of stunned horror on his face. He must feel her intent, she knew it was strong.

Her fingers were around his neck, squeezing only a little. She knew he was weak. She could feel it. He did not resist her mild strength, but let her push him back. And then, as he was falling, she saw his eyes close in resignation. That he loved Mimori enough to die for her struck Kyoko with a terrible force, and her agony was complete. She buried her face in her hands and wept for what she had done, laughing in vicious triumph all the while.

* * *

_There it is. Chapter two will be about Ren and Kyoko mostly. I hope that you will stick around for it. Thanks to Will for editing some really weird word choice. And for working around another internet failure._

_Thanks for reading.  
_


	2. Endurance

_Chapter two, for those of you who care. I apologize to my readers for the hasty conclusion of chapter one. I had several people comment on it. I suppose my only excuse is that I didn't want to overdose on cheesy romance, and I hate drawing out scenes that readers are familiar with from the canon. In any event, I hope that you enjoy this chapter...  
_

* * *

Ren repressed a sigh as he looked over the house that he stood in front of. It was shabby, which was not surprising, and it was small, equally predictable. He just wished it had been a little more unusual so that his job could have been more entertaining. The Old Ones gave him this work because it suited them to have less to do. He accepted it because he knew they could make him uncomfortable if he refused.

A perfunctory knock on the door was answered with silence, but this did not deter Ren. Housebreaking was the least of his crimes, and he generally got away with it because the issues he came to discuss were the kind of things that residents did not like to reach the neighbors. He slid open the wooden screen and stepped into the entryway, taking off his shoes before he stepped into the house proper. He was not one to enjoy formalities, but he did not grudge a small action that might make him more palatable to a person he was intruding on. He played a fine game, and knew, after centuries of practice, how to bend people to his will. It helped that he was such an attractive and charismatic figure, even with his devilish nature. He pasted a bland smile on his face and moved toward the room that his senses told him was occupied by his quarry.

"Hello," he said in a polite tone, stepping in and surveying the figure before him. It was a sitting room of sorts, empty except for a few cushions thrown idly across the woven mat floor. Somewhere in his brain, Ren knew what these were called, but too many lifetimes of information made him skip the recollection and close the door behind him. "You must be the angel."

The young woman seated at the window turned to look at him. When he had first walked in, her chosen appearance was a slim figure with short auburn hair and a plain if unblemished face. Nothing remarkable, nothing objectionable. But when her eyes met his, her disguise had faded and he found himself looking at a typically angelic face with pure blue eyes that had a disconcerting tendency to look right through him. His experience with Archangels let him know that the heavenly beings could be astute, but this girl was too young to have a gaze so clear. And she looked old with those eyes. Her natural form might have never reached the human appearance of middle age, or left young adulthood, but she was much older than any angel he had met in quite a long time. Not as old as he was, but older than even her true form suggested. Since angels' aging was based on their desire to appear older and wiser, he suspected that some part of her had never wanted to grow up. And now she had Fallen. This could be difficult. He took a seat on one of the cushions.

"You're wasting your time," she said in a soft voice. There was no censure, only resignation. But the melodic quality that touched all angels was present, and Ren figured he had his work cut out for him. Angels and devils both lost their defining features based on their condition and how far they had slipped from their natural ways. That she was still so enchanting -and she was enchanting- and so mystical meant the Old Ones had foisted him into another mess. He wondered even if there had been a mistake. But her aura was not brilliant and she seemed, behind those peering eyes, to be in pain. Yes, a real mess.

Oh well. He had nothing better to do.

"I don't think it's a waste. What makes you say that?"

"You're Ren. All the angels who go to earth know about you. You collect the Fallen for the Old Ones."

"And you're Kyoko, the latest slip-up. I see we can skip all the explanations of who I am and why I'm here," he answered with what he felt was goodwill. "Excellent. It makes this much easier."

"You're lying."

Angels were known to be direct, but not to be able to read devils very well. Her clear observation rankled.

"Oh, well, it's never easy to get one of you to finish the job," he said lightly, preserving a polite and friendly tone. "You always try and fix your mistakes, thinking you can make it back-"

"Some do," she cut him off, turning back to the window. Now Ren was very annoyed. He had his pride after all. He was a good looking man, even when he chose to run around in human guise. Angels, devils, and humans had the tendency to stare at him in raptures. There was a mystery about him after all. This girl did not care at all, and it bothered him.

"But you won't," Ren stated with a knowing tone, hoping to throw her off balance. He failed.

"No. I'm going to die."

"You don't have to sound so sure," he found himself grumbling. She glanced over her shoulder to smile at him smugly.

"It's inevitable."

"Now really," he protested, not affected by this unwavering declaration. Repetitious insistence of death was normal. Fallen angels that hadn't shifted yet were all like that, hoping to die and regain their honor or something equally stupid. "There isn't any reason to talk like that. So you aren't suited for your first calling, but that isn't any reason to give up."

"You're wasting your time," she repeated, and ignored his attempt to protest this. "You don't want to be here, you don't like me, and you were bored before you even opened the door. You've done this a million times and, win or lose, you get nothing for it. One of your ancients is pushing you around because they are as lazy and selfish as you are, but you can't say no to them and that makes you angry on top of everything else. I'm not interested in you, I know I'm going to die, and you don't want to even be here. Are we finished?"

Ren let out a hiss and realized that his disguise had slipped. It took a great deal of skill to make him angry enough to forget where he was and go for brute intimidation. He was good at that, earning the nickname the Demon Lord some centuries ago when he had had a more frail grip on his temper. But he _had_ learned to control his anger, and was not happy to find that this little brat could incite him so easily. He looked at his clawed hands in frustration and noticed the black pattern of wings on them. He growled, but did not move to leave. This was his job and he was good at it. And if some high and mighty little angel thought she had gotten the best of him, she was dead wrong. He'd drag her down to Hell if he had to, and he'd enjoy it. And her.

"Well, since you know I'm here on orders, you must know I can't just leave," he pointed out, the words tasting bitter in his mouth. "How far gone are you anyway?"

She glanced over her shoulder at him but said nothing. Instead, she unfurled her wings, and Ren found himself shocked yet again.

Pitch black feathers rustled as the wings extended, then retracted. A few of these dark feathers hit the floor, curling slightly. Ren swallowed as a bitter memory hit him out of nowhere, burning red and gold. The wings trembled, then were pulled back.

"Oh…" was the only word that could escape his mouth. Wings were a sign for any being of what side they were on. White for angels, black for devils. Any shade of grey and they were floundering. But once you went black or white, your features shifted to match your being. An angel with black wings was…

"_I'll never forgive you!"_

He shook his head to dislodge the memory and tried to project a calm aura.

"Well, looks like you've made up your mind. I don't see why you're beating around the bush down here still."

"Penitence," she answered offhandedly, watching a butterfly among some flowers outside. "If I can redeem myself, I can return."

"But you don't think you can," he pointed out, fighting exasperation. "Why waste time here moping? There are plenty of things that you can do as a devil, and wasting your life to no purpose-"

"It has a purpose," she cut him off, meeting his gaze again. "Penitence. If I can be sorry I did it, I can return."

"There's no reason to be sorry," Ren said simply. "Just accept that you've changed and move on." She stared at him for a moment, but shook her head.

"If moving on is to be like you, unfeeling, I don't want it. I know I was wrong, but I don't regret it. I want both of these feelings. They make me right."

"You're being stubborn," Ren insisted. "It can't have been that bad. If you don't regret having done… whatever it is you did, it must have made you happy. And isn't happiness a good thing?" She stared at him for a moment.

"You don't know what I did?"

"The Old Ones didn't explain. They figured it would be unnecessary." She seemed to consider this.

"I don't suppose they really cared…"

"I sincerely doubt that they did. Why angels Fall doesn't concern them. Getting them to finish Falling does."

"Why do they care? More of you means more competition."

"You assume we're always at odds. We serve each others' interests when they cross our own. And having people around you that are predictable is safer."

"I suppose."

"It just works for us. As long as we are satisfied with what we are doing, if we make someone else happy along the way, we don't worry about it. You probably did something like that, did you?"

"I did it for me." Ren sighed.

"Just you?" She recoiled a bit, but did not answer. "It wasn't just for you, was it? A lover?"

The look of pure malice he received was almost terrifying.

"No," she hissed. "_Not_ a lover. Never, _never_, a lover."

"O-of course," he answered. "Well, can you tell me what it was then? Since I can't seem to guess."

"You haven't tried very hard."

"There aren't a lot of things that angels go down for. Love, or lust, is the most common, though greed sometimes figures in. Based on your house, I'm guessing not greed…" He repressed a grimace at his own callousness. He knew how to be more polite than that. There was another silence, and she looked away.

"I killed a devil."

His body was on fire, the feelings in him twisting between anger and horror. His first impulse, and he had no idea how he refrained, was to grab her in his arms and hold her, whispering absolute lies that she would be alright. Her tears were gone now, but he knew he would give anything, _anything_, to go back to when they were there and to give her his shoulder to weep on. His second impulse he did not check, but stood and walked over to her, kneeling in front of her and grabbing her face so that she could not walk away.

"You _what_?" It had to be a lie. No one -no one else- could have done it, made that stupid mistake. She was lying. There was no way in Heaven or Hell that this delicate, innocent fledgling had actually killed another being.

"I killed a devil. I pushed him off a tower in the borderlands. He fell, and he died."

"He didn't fight back, fly away?" The hands tightened and his claws broke her soft skin where they pressed against her neck.

"He was too weak. He wanted to die. He wanted to save her. But it didn't matter. She died too. It was too late. It was pointless."

A thought, as ridiculous as it was likely, started growing in his mind.

"Who was he?"

"I don't know. I only saw him twice. She called him Sho." Ren felt sick. He had disliked the kid, but knowing, really knowing, that his suspicions were true, was painful.

"He wanted to save who?"

"My sister. Mimori."

"An angel?"

"I don't have any other kinds of sisters," she said in a tone that bordered on annoyed. A hint of amusement tickled him, but he ignored it. This was too important.

"Did he love her?" There was anguish in her eyes now.

"Yes. As much as she loved him. And now they're dead."

It was not the same, but it was bad. Worse, in so many ways. Because, and she knew it, if she had acted a bit sooner, it might have ended differently. And she could not regret that she had done it, only that she had done it too late. Now she had nothing. She was just going to die. Not for honor, or redemption. But because she had failed.

It was different, but he knew her pain. So he pulled her into his arms and held her. He held her until the tears she thought she had run out of came pouring out all over again. And he held her still until they ran out again. And then, because she was shaking and no one else would do it, he held her still some more, until she fell asleep.

~...~

"Have you seen her?" The voice came from the shadows and Ren could not be sure which of his masters it was. He did not care. He had other things to think about.

"I've seen her. It isn't good. She's too principled. She's going to die."

"Such a pity. She's such a pretty little thing…"

"You've seen her?" Ren asked, a note of sharpness in his voice surprising him. The shadow was silent, then chuckled.

"She's caught your fancy, has she? Well, that's fine. Your normal methods won't work anyway. But you still need to bring her in. She's good, almost as good as you are. Better in some ways. She'll be a good addition."

"There's something else, isn't there?"

"Oh, she's a favorite of the Archangels. They would have promoted her, but they needed another century or two before they could. And she wasn't going to leave that little pest she was taking care of. But it was all those principles you noticed. Had more of them than some of the First Ones ever did."

"And she went and killed a devil. How ironic. Did you know that?"

"Would we have sent you if we didn't?"

"Yes."

"Well, probably. But you are the best one for this job."

"I'm not sure that is a compliment."

"We've never held it against you. And you switched sides fast enough."

"It seemed better than dying at the time."

"Oh, don't pretend you haven't enjoyed yourself. You had plenty of years where you put all the Hell-born to shame, and you know it. Think of this as an opportunity to find all those lost years and enjoy yourself again."

"I think she'll take offense if I tell her that's what I mean to use her for."

"Oh, you won't tell her that. What she doesn't know can't hurt her. Especially once she's one of us."

The presence left, but Ren was not satisfied.

"Will she not know?" he wondered to the empty room.

~...~

"You're back." Her voice showed no surprise, and Ren did not fumble. How she saw through him, he had no idea, but he would play his part carefully. He could do this. He had done it before. He would do it again.

"I was told to check on you," he answered. She smiled in sympathy.

"They really want you to convince me, don't they?"

"Well, you're something of a mascot for your people." She giggled and surprised him, but shook her head.

"That's flattery, but it won't work. No one thought very much of me. I was just another angel. They won't miss me in a particular way."

He could not decide if she was serious or was trying to deceive him. He decided to ignore it.

"Well, I did want to see you again. Are you feeling better?"

"I'm dying," she said dampeningly. "I feel like it too." Ren frowned.

"Does it hurt?"

"It doesn't matter. I don't care if it does."

"I do," he said, stepping forward. She shook her head.

"Oh no. You're a devil, remember? If you care it's because you're pretending to make me rely on you and trust you." Ren smiled.

"I think you would scare my masters. They didn't credit you with that much sense." Kyoko shrugged.

"Men don't take an interest in weepy females unless they want something from them. Not unless they already love them."

"That's a bit harsh. Besides," he took another step forward and touched her cheek, his hand caressing the soft skin, "I'm very interested in you." She smiled again, but it was a tolerating, almost motherly smile.

"You're lying again." It had been a true statement, though the suggestion that he had tried to make, that he was interested in _her_, not just her crimes and agonies, had been dishonest.

"You wound me," he said in a mournful tone, kneeling in front of her and taking her hand. "When you say that, I think you don't trust me."

She stared at him long and hard, and nodded suddenly, seeming to be satisfied with something she had seen. She pulled her hand out of his and placed it elegantly on her lap. Ren might not have been interested in her, but he liked her grace.

"I trust that you won't do anything to me," she said quietly, smiling in a queer little way that made Ren a little nervous.

"Of course I won't do anything. How can I help you recover from your trauma if you can't trust me?" She gave him a pitying look again, and he was disturbed. What was she thinking?

"I know that is why you are here. You want me to finish Falling like a good little girl so you can be done with your job. But I wish you wouldn't try to pretend that you like me."

"I do like you," he said, not concerned at the truth in this. He enjoyed challenges, and this woman would be a wonderful challenge.

"Oh, you don't hate me," she agreed placidly. "But you won't trick me into believing you want me." He was a bit offset, but smiled in spite of it.

"Why?"

"Because I'm not beautiful."

And suddenly, Ren understood her. She had not been lying when she said that no one would miss her. She really believed it. Just as she believed she was not attractive.

"I hate to contradict you, but you are very wrong and very beautiful."

"Oh, compared to most humans, yes. But I'm sure you've seen hundreds of angels, and you must know I'm not nearly as pretty as any of them. Mimori was lovely, everyone admired her. No one noticed me."

Ren refrained from comment. Her reserve and natural nobility might have made people nervous around her, but she was not an understated beauty at all. In fact, looking at her again, Ren found her extremely beautiful. More attractive each time he looked at her, actually.

"Someday," he said softly, "I am going to teach you how wrong you are. But not today."

"Because you want me to trust you?" she asked lightly. Ren smiled, and would have been pleased to know the effect that it had on the angel. She thought that this smile was delightful, and much more handsome than the one he had worn when she had first seen him.

"I do want you to trust me," he said, and let himself be serious. "It's a waste to just go and die. There are so many things you could be doing."

"Oh, I'm sure there are. But I don't want to experience any of them. I like where I am just fine."

"And you don't want a lover." She stiffened at this, looked pained, then sorrowful, then… guilty?

"No. I don't." She shook her head as if to rid it of some wayward thought, but Ren stored away her reaction for another day. "Do you plan on staying long? I'm expecting someone."

"Expecting someone?" he asked to conceal his frustration and being dismissed so easily.

"Yes. People come to see me for advice. I can't help as many humans as I used to, but I try my best. I can't stop just because I'm not feeling well."

"You're… still helping people?"

"Everyone who comes to this house," she answered calmly. "People are drawn to this place, and I help them as best as I can." She paused, regarding him seriously. "Is there something that you need?"

"No, no. I can find whatever I'm looking for outside these four walls just fine." She seemed a bit unhappy about this, but he expected he had offended her morality.

"Then… I hope you are happy," she said with some restraint. He was touched by her determination to be kind, and flicked her nose.

"Oh, I'm sure I will be. Since you aren't going anywhere I know where to find you whenever I want to."

"I don't think I make you very happy," she said softly. That bitter ache tugged at him, but he shook it off.

"I'll be back soon. Don't miss me too much."

"I'll do my best." He stumbled and whipped back around, but her smile was inscrutable and he had the feeling that he was being made fun of.

~...~

The view from her window was pleasing, but Kyoko rarely saw it. She did not need to see it. Her mind was fully occupied already. Loneliness from missing her dear friend, sadness for her loss, agony that she kept to herself as her body tortured her for her wickedness, and the quiet sense that she had done right, even if it was too late kept her thoughts busy. Killing was wrong, her motive had been selfish, but she would not repent of it. She would do her best to help those that she could still touch, and would wait for her death.

She hoped that Ren came back soon. She wanted to help him too. She could see, under that callous guise, the truth of the man that had held her while she was crying. She knew those arms, remembered them from a time long past, almost forgotten. If she could do nothing else, she hoped that she could save him at least.

Her hands trembled and she clenched them into fists. This pain was her price. She would not complain.

~...~

It had to be her sincerity that was saving her. No angel should have been able to survive even a day after having killed someone. But she was still so _good_. It was the conflict of natures that tore angels and devils to pieces. But she knew what she was. She could not erase her actions, and did not regret them. But she knew her job, and so fought with her whole sense of right to stay, even for just one more day, to save someone else. That selflessness preserved her, and dragged out what Ren was sure was an agonizing existence.

"How are you doing?" he asked one morning, on the fifth or sixth visit. She smiled and mumbled some sort of polite lies, but he could see the strain in her eyes. That incredible desire, that he thought he had long banished, to ease that strain and misery ate at him. He did not act on it. He did not want to die and was still selfish enough to hold himself together. But she was pushing him to his limit.

"The weather is nice," she commented, and since she had actually noticed the world outside, Ren knew that she was not simply uttering a commonplace but trying to drag his attention to something small that she hoped would delight him.

"It's pleasant," he agreed, walking over to the window and staring out at the bright sunlight. Whenever he arrived she returned to her true form. He expected that any use of her power was tiring, and was a little glad to give her a reprieve. She was beautiful as an angel, and he was glad to be allowed to watch her golden hair shimmer in the morning light. He reached down and caught some in his fingers, rubbing it gently. She looked up at him in confusion, but he only smiled.

"Ren?"

"Yes?"

"What are you doing?"

"Enjoying your hair."

"Why?"

"I like blonde hair," he answered casually, and to his surprise she frowned. "What?"

"It seems odd for yo- for a devil," she said hesitantly. His brow furrowed, but she only took her hair from him and threw it over her shoulder. The action exposed her neck, and in the direct light Ren noticed crescent shaped scars along the skin where he had grabbed her on their first meeting. He resisted the impulse to touch her, but felt a deep regret. A creature as beautiful as she was should not be scarred. Normally, she would not have. More evidence her power was failing. "What did you do yesterday?"

She always asked what he had done, but he rarely had a good answer for her. He wandered on earth when he felt fidgety, but he had dedicated most of his faculties to tracing the pattern of angels and devils, their numbers and "converts" over several centuries. No one understood why he cared, but he had a vested interest in both worlds and felt a small degree of comfort when he noted, no matter how many angels Fell, the demons' growth was slowing down as well. If he lived through enough lifetimes he might get to see the trend reverse again.

"Nothing special. Oh, I went shopping. I got something for you."

He pulled a book out, seemingly from nowhere, and she accepted it with a soft thanks, giving him an irritated look as she read the cover.

"_The Big Book of Fairytales_?" she read, giving him a withering look.

"Light reading," he told her. "I was looking for something that wouldn't offend your principles." Kyoko opened her mouth to tell him exactly what she thought about the principles in fairytales before snapping it closed suddenly and biting her lips to keep from smiling.

"That was very kind of you," she said lightly. "I almost believe you did it for my sake, not just to get me to trust you." Ren felt a twinge and knew he had made a mistake. He had wanted to tease her a bit, but he had also just wanted to get something for her. Since jewels and fashions did not interest angels, he had looked for something colorful and cheerful.

"Well, then my carefully laid plans must be working," he retorted lightly. She smiled, but he had the feeling she did not believe him. He did not blame her. He did not believe him either.

~...~

Years. She had dragged this out for _years_. He could see what it had cost her. She never went out and barely moved. She still helped those that came to her, but he wished she would help herself more. It was painful to watch her waste away.

"I saw Mimori," she told him one day when he found her staring out the window longingly. The peaceful backyard was still there, but most of the neighborhood had disappeared. You could see a road and pedestrians out the window now. "And Sho."

"Really?" he checked, shocked by the confession. She turned to smile at him sadly.

"Well, I can't be positive, but I remember what they both looked like when they walked around like humans. It looked like them."

"They were together?"

"And happy." She was not crying, but Ren put a hand on her shoulder anyway. She turned into his arms and let him hold her, though no tears escaped. "She's happy, Ren. Just like I wanted her to be."

"I know, Angel. I know."

~...~

"You're hoping they pass by again, aren't you," Ren asked as he watched Kyoko stare eagerly out the window. "You never get tired of it." She smiled, but did not turn to look at him. That still rankled. They were just a happy human couple that would live out their lives and die. That she had known them when they were unearthly was pointless. She never even spoke to them. He was here, and he wanted her attention. Now.

"It feels so right. Like this is how they should have been. Why were they even born apart?" She did look at him as she asked this, but he had no answer and could only shrug.

"If you want a conversation on cosmic purpose I don't have an answer. For all we know, they'll get reborn next time as devils again, or angels." Kyoko frowned at this.

"That would be… sad."

"Well, if they were devils, they would probably be okay with it. But you'd prefer if they were angels, wouldn't you?"

"Not if they were still in love," she answered quietly. "It wouldn't do them any good to be angels then."

"What do you think of it?"

"Of what?"

"Love?"

"It keeps people going," she answered promptly. "It gives hope and courage. It makes people rely on others and they accomplish things they could never do if they were alone."

"I meant more in a romantic sense," Ren corrected. She gave him a puzzled look, but soon frowned.

"I don't know. Romance isn't something that I understand very well. Exclusive love…" Her voice drifted off and he thought he saw longing in her face. "I don't think it's a very comfortable feeling. Or- I don't think it would be," she hastily corrected. Ren stared at her, watching her every expression change.

"I think the pain of separation and neediness is combatted by all the romantical stuff you don't know anything about."

"I suppose." She looked away again to stare out the window. Ren, his frustration having reached its peak, stormed over to her side and grabbed her chin, forcing her to look up at him. She was startled, and a little frightened, which had the immediate effect of making him sorry. He sat down next to her, but did not release her.

"Why won't you try it?"

"Try it?"

"The romantic stuff." She colored.

"I'm an angel Ren. I don't- I can't- I'm not a pleasure seeker." He grinned, his thumb rubbing her jaw.

"Well I am." Before she could reignite his common sense with the reminder that he wanted her to trust him, he was kissing her. And for all that she was a tight-lipped angel, he was enjoying it. When he pulled away, she was trembling slightly. "Well?"

It was a moment before she could answer.

"You need to leave," she whispered hoarsely. His expression remained calm, but he was aware of a bitter disappointment. "Please, just go."

"Should I not come back?" he asked.

"Not… not right away. I just… I need…" Her whole body shook and she covered her mouth, tears forming in her eyes. "Please just go!"

He was aware of a feeling of guilt, but he could not quite bring himself to regret what he had done. Actually, he wanted to repeat it. He did need to go.

"Take care," he told her, standing and placing a soft kiss on her head before he exited.

~...~

The day he finally returned, he found her collapsed on the floor.

She stopped seeing visitors. She did not have the strength. Most of the time when Ren saw her now, she was in bed, lying on a thin mattress and simply staring up at the ceiling. When he asked her what she did with all this time she told him she prayed.

"For what? To who?"

"Oh, the other angels don't hear the words, but it helps them. For happiness. For the humans. Mimori's daughter was here yesterday. She came in. I was able to help her, even like this. She's in love."

"That's good."

"You're tired." Her quick jump caught him off balance.

"I've been busy."

"The Old Ones are harassing you, aren't they?" He smiled at her, the warm smile that had grown more tender as time had gone by.

"They say just because I haven't converted you yet doesn't mean I can't go get others."

"But you don't want to anymore. Not when you think they might get to be humans if they die." Ren did not answer. He only took her hand in his.

"I don't want much of anything," he admitted. "I'm content with what I have. I work for the Old Ones because…" But he could not tell her. Did it even really matter?

"You don't want them telling everyone who you are," she finished for him, and he looked at her in shock. "You don't want the other devils to know you aren't Hell-born. You're Fallen."

"Yes." There was no reason to lie, but the word felt like it had been yanked out of him. "How did you know?" Her other hand came over and dropped a blue stone into his waiting appendage.

"I guessed a long time ago, Kuon." His throat tightened and he looked down at her in shock.

"You're-"

"I never did thank you properly, did I?" she said. But he was not listening.

It had been years, oh millennia ago, that he had walked the realms of Heaven. He had been much loved there too. Not a First Archangel, but one of their first children, he had tended to the Younglings with great care. When he had spotted one, a tiny little thing with muddy gold hair and a more chubby countenance than any of her playmates, crying in a corner by herself, he had stopped to ask her what was wrong. She had explained that she had been told by several angels that she was not as pretty as her companions, and knowing this to be true, she had been jealous of them.

What had struck Kuon as she told this story was not that she was crying from the pain that jealousy brought to an angel's body, or because of her lack of beauty, but because she knew that jealousy was wrong and she felt she was a wicked angel to have been tempted so easily. Younglings were not, as humans supposed, less susceptible to selfishness, but more. They also had a harder time recognizing it, but merely avoided doing and thinking things that caused them pain. This girl was punishing herself, wallowing in the agony of her evil thoughts and weeping in the hopes that she could redeem herself by her actions. Kuon, who knew that the feeling would not be so easily dispelled, had given her the small stone that he had collected on his first trip to earth. He showed her its changing colors, what had fascinated him when he had first gotten it, and had held and hushed her until her tears had stopped.

"Keep it," he told her. "Someday, you'll be at least as pretty as the others. But for now, you have a piece of earth, which they've never seen. One day, when you're as pretty as they are, they'll go to earth too, and it will all still be fair."

She had seemed a bit skeptical, but accepted his words at last and ran away smiling.

How on earth had she remembered him? Recognized him?

"Kuon?" she interrupted his memory, a worried note in her voice.

"No," he corrected her. "Not anymore. Just Ren."

"If you wish," she agreed, watching him carefully. "I won't tell anyone."

"Thank you. I never really thought that you would. But I guess you want to know what happened."

"The Archangels never said. They just pretended you had never existed. I think they were sad, but they wouldn't say. I pretended I forgot."

"Poor little Angel," he whispered, stroking her cheek and letting her take his hand. "You always had trouble being obedient when you wanted to help people."

"I'm a bad angel," she added, but he shook his head.

"No. A good one. The best one." He stroked her face again, then looked away. Out the window and into the wide world. "I had a friend, Rick. We were like you and Mimori, always looking out for each other. Well, he was always looking out for me. I was completely clueless. I realized he was Falling and tried to figure out what was wrong. It wasn't until after he had died that I realized he had fallen into the clutches of a devil and she had let him die." He looked down at her sadly. "Unlike Sho, she didn't love Rick. She just wanted to ruin an angel. I hated her, more than anything. So I killed her."

"And they threw you out," she whispered, touching his face where he had not realized a tear had leaked out. "You left. But why did you become a devil?"

"I thought it was wrong," he sighed. "She had been horrible, had ruined his life, and mine. But I was the wrong one for getting rid of her. Cosmic balance and principles didn't mean anything. I didn't want to be a part of a world where good people could be fooled like that, with no one to defend them. And… I didn't think Rick would want me to die. So I became a devil."

"Poor Kuon," she breathed. He would have corrected her, but she winced, her hand flying to her chest.

"Kyoko!"

"I'm alright," she told him with as much of a smile as she could muster. "It's just normal." He wanted to correct her, to tell it did not have to be this way. But it did. She would not be Kyoko if she did not care for others. And she had long since reconciled herself to the fact that killing Sho had been the right thing. They had been given a new life together, he and Mimori, and she did not mind sacrificing herself for that.

His beautiful, foolish angel.

~...~

"Kuon."

"It's Ren, Kyoko."

"I can't see you." He moved from the window over to her side.

"I'm right here." She smiled sadly, but her hand groped blindly, and he knew that it had been pointless to move. He took her hand and she squeezed it tightly.

"I think it hurts today." It hurt every day, but that she admitted it told him how bad it was.

"You don't have much longer. Can I do anything for you?"

"You shouldn't. You shouldn't have stayed here, Kuon. It was too selfless."

"You needed someone to care for you. The Old Ones told me to stay with you until it was too late."

"You're lying," she whispered. It had been long since she had seen his wings, but if she did not know that they were a mottled grey it was more than he was willing to bet. His own body hurt as he was sure hers did, but he had not left.

"I don't want to leave you alone."

"You're so silly."

A long silence extended. Ren did not try to break it. If she was too tired to talk, it was better that she stayed silent.

"Kuon."

"Ren, Kyoko."

"Will you do something for me?"

"Anything. I told you."

"I want you to make me a promise."

"What promise?"

"Live." He froze and his grip on her hand tightened. "Like Rick wanted. Keeping living. Even if you have to do it as a devil, keep on living. Then, if I get born again as a human, you can come and find me."

"You want me to find you as a human, even if I'm a devil?" She smiled at him, and he thought he saw something in those unseeing eyes that had never been there before.

"Even as a devil," she told him. "I'll be waiting."

"You won't remember me. Mimori and Sho didn't remember their lives. I checked, remember?"

"They remembered each other," she corrected him. "Not by name, but they knew they loved each other."

"Kyoko-"

"I want to see you again, no matter what you choose."

"You don't really mean that-"

"I love you. Promise?" He felt like he had been punched. So many years of nothing, and now this. He had so many things that he wanted to say, but none of them would come out.

"I promise," he said at last. She seemed to relax at that, but he could not be sure. In a moment she was gone as if she had never been there in the first place. In his hand was a tiny blue stone. A couple of black feathers shifted gently on the mattress.

~...~

The heart of Heaven was filled with a dozen or so Younglings and the Archangels that watched them. Some of the little ones could be quite rambunctious, and it was with apprehension that two Archangels watched one of their charges tug his friend's hair before jumping back and dashing off. They knew he would feel it, but this one just never seemed to learn.

As he started running full tilt, laughing, he found himself suddenly being heaved up by his collar and staring into a pair of blue eyes. These eyes were not like a normal angel's, and had a certain hardness to them. But the voice that spoke was easygoing, if a bit patronizing.

"I don't care how young you are, you know better than to pull a lady's hair. Even if that lady is your sister. It just isn't something a man does."

Never having considered this, the Youngling stared at his captor in confusion, but the tiny pains of misbehavior had started to work on him, and he realized he had done wrong. He nodded to this new, superior being and ran over to apologize to the girl, who accepted the apology sweetly. It was the two Archangels that were distracted now. After a quick look at each other, one of them nodded to the other and distracted the children, leading them away. The other approached the new arrival.

"Now this is _not_ something I had ever expected to see," he murmured, looking over the other angel. "What brings you back here, Kuon?"

"It's what she wanted," he said in a slow, deliberate voice. Apparently he did not need to explain who he meant. The Archangel looked away.

"We did not wish for her to suffer. She was… the best of us."

"I know."

"She asked you to return?"

"To live." Kuon was given a searching look. The Archangel seemed disquieted.

"I suppose that could work. Though it doesn't address why you Fell in the first place."

"No. But I've addressed it, and you don't need to worry about it." Another anxious look, but the Archangel shrugged.

"Will you be staying here?"

"From time to time. I'll be going to earth whenever I can."

"I see." He did not, but Kuon did not call him on the lie. It was not worth the trouble.

"I won't bother you anymore. If you need something, you know how to find me." He turned to leave, but was stopped by a question.

"What did the Old Ones say?" Kuon smirked.

"It wouldn't be appropriate to repeat here."

~...~

It was a small house in a rural town. It was set off the main road, down a long drive surrounded by tall trees and small wildflowers. The owners of the house had passed away several years before, leaving their only child alone in that small place. She had mourned them, but told everyone who tried to take her from her home that she did not mind the solitude. She was used to it. This confused people, because she had been an only child and her parents had always been around her, but she did seem to enjoy her empty house.

She sat on her front porch that morning, the raised platform sitting a meter or so off the ground. Her legs were swinging impatiently, which was unusual. Normally she was a very still person, waiting as if she had all of eternity stretched out before her. The wind tossed her long black hair into her face and she brushed the stray strands behind her ears. A series of crescent shaped scars, birthmarks really, trailed down her neck and her fingers brushed against them subconsciously as her hand moved back to rest on the porch. Eyes of a soft gold kept watching the road, as if she was expecting someone.

Her face, wearing an impatient look, was looking unusually like it actually belonged to a girl her age. Normally she looked much older than her seventeen years. From time to time she would bite her lip or tap her fingers against the strong, weathered wood that she sat on. Her white sundress was tucked modestly under her knees to prevent the breeze from catching it, but the hem fluttered as her legs moved. Occasionally she would stop kicking and would point her bare feet, studying them as if she could not decide whether or not to put shoes on. They were pretty legs, to match her pretty figure and pretty face, but she never thought of them as special. She was healthy and neat, ordinary and unblemished. That suited her just fine.

The sun peaked in the sky and the girl sighed as her stomach grumbled a little. She stood, brushing off her skirt and glancing down the road once more, a look of longing on her face. She was about to head in when another wind whipped up and she spun around, her eyes suddenly dancing, her breath becoming unsteady. For a moment, she was still the only one there. Then, right in front of the porch, a man stood. His short blond hair danced around blue eyes that glowed with warmth. She took a step towards him, reaching out a hand which he took, smiling.

"Kuon?" she breathed. He grabbed her other hand and pulled her further forward, lifting her off the porch and into his arms.

"You do remember," he said as she wrapped her arms around his neck. She smiled in return.

"My angel," she whispered.

"Only yours," he agreed, before he kissed her.

* * *

_End_

_Thanks to everyone that reviewed the last chapter. Apparently mentioning Sho's name in a summary is enough to make almost everyone run for the hills. How sad. I even made sure there was lots of Ren and Kyoko for the traditionalists. Oh well, maybe someday I will be a good enough writer that people will trust me even when I do step off the well worn and much beaten path. Thanks to Will, who got a couple of random messages about last minute changes and responded in good time. And thanks to those who provided constructive criticism on the last chapter. Special thanks and apologies to _frostcrystal_. I hope that this chapter came closer to your expectations. If not, throw me a challenge and I'll see what I can do for you.  
_


End file.
